Air-separator.



'No. 728,474. 'PATENTED MAY 1931903.. 0. H. LANE. AIR SEPARATOR. v APPLICATION FILED OUT. 25, 1900;

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' 110 MODEL.

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. 'PATENTED MAY 19, 1903.

(LIL'LANEQ AIRSEPARATOR.

APPLICATION FILED 00125, 1900.

.NO MODEL,

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' 172 21872260 W KKW UNITED STATES Patented May 19, 1903.

PATENT OFFIGE.

CHARLES H. LANE, OF CLEVELAND, orno.

AlR-SE-PARATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 728,474, dated May 19, 1903.

Application filezi- 0ctoher25, 1900. Serial No. 34,2. (No model.) I

recovered'at a difierent point -It is especially' applicable to the separation of pulverized ores. I p

The primary object of the invention is to rapidly effect the concentration of the material by carrying away from a large quantity of the material the very light (dust) constitu ents thereof. 4 p To that end the principal. features of the invention reside in the means shown whereby large quantities of air coming from different directions enter the separator chamber or tube, and the pulverized material is delivered in regulated quantities into one air-current before it enters said tube, which current acts to measurably break 'upthe lumps and separate the particles which'may have stuck to gether, so that when they enter the segregat ing-chambe'r they will be more quickly acted upon by the segregating air-current therein. The invention consists additionally in the details of construction and combination of parts, as hereinaftendescribed, and pointed out definitely in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly broken away to partially disclose the interior mechanism of an apparatus embodying my invention.

from the left side of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is'a vertical sectional view on line 3 30f Fig. 1, and

Fig. 4 is an endview from the. right side ofclosed at its upper end and open at its lower entrance of air.

end to a greater or less extent to permit the This tube is supported by a 7, suitable framework B. The outlet for the Fig. 2 is an end view air-current is through a large opening 0' in the top of this tube about midway between its ends, which opening is covered by a large box-like structure 0, which forms a passage for guiding and directing the dust-laden air- The upper end I) of this structure is contracted and adapted for the attachment thereto of a pipe, which maybe connected at its other end with a suction-fan or other analogous device by means of which a current of air may be caused to enter the tube A and pass out through the structure 0 and thence onto the suction-fan. The pulverized material to be acted upon is delivered into the side of the said tube A by the following mechanism, to wit: It is placed in a hopper D, having a con- 5 tracted discharge-neck d, which is as long sub* stantially as the outlet-opening c of the tube A. One inclined wall 01 of this hopper is or may be stationary,while the otheris formed by As this roller rotates it'carries along with it small quantities of the pulverized material, the quantity depending on the size of the discharge-neck of the hopper, and drops this material into a spout G. The lower end of this spout is in communication with the tube A on oneside thereof. This spout, however, has an opening, as at g, through which air may enter and through which it does enter when air is being drawn out of the tube A. The material falling from this feed-roller therefore falls into this current ofair by which the particles are separated fromone another. When, therefore, these separated particle's enter the tube A, they arein condition to be immediately acted upon by the segregating air-current flowing through said tube. The light particles will be caught up by the air-current and carried out through the top of the tube and through the structure 0, following the course before pointed out.

The heavier particles will fall to the bottom of the tube A. \Vith them will fall some of the lighter particles which ought to be carried away and which will be brought under the influence of their current again through the operation of the mechanism which I will now describe.

The tube A, or rather the lower part thereof, is divided into pockets or by the narrow flanges H, which are secured to its bottom and extend part way up its curved sides. These flanges prevent the material which settles onto the bottom of the tube A from flowing by gravity down to its recovery endthat is to say, its lower end. A shaft J extends axially through the tube A and is mounted insuitable hearings in its ends. To this shaft are secured a plurality of substantially radial arms arranged in sets, one for each of the pockets formed by the flanges H. Each set of the arms may consist of one arm or a plurality of arms. The arms are preferably of. skeleton form, and a screen 7' is stretched across the outer end of each. The upper end of the shaft J projects out from the tube A, and it is connected with a driven shaft M by means of a universal-joint connection m, whereby it may be rotated. As it is rotated the arms attached to shaft J pickup the material which has fallen to the bottom of the tube A into the pockets (t and lift said material and throw it outward or drop it or sift it-through the screen, whereby it repeatedly is subjected to the influence of the current of air in said tube. The light particles, or many of them, will be carried away by this current, while the heavier particles will fall for most part into the pocket (1 below that from which they were lifted. Owing to the position of the air-outlet opening a in the top or roof of the tube and about midway of its length, the lower end of the tube only is subjected to the strong aircurrents, while its upper closed end constitutes a quieter settling-chamber in which there may be mild eddies of air, but no direct sweeping blasts. The mass of material in the lower end of the tube is being constantly carried up by the heaters and dropped through the air-current, which acts with more or less force upon the lighter particles and dust in the falling material, separating them from the heavier particles, whose gravitation it does not overcome. The mastery of the blast over these lighter particles carries them up the inclined tube toward the opening 0, where a further separation or sorting of the lighter products takes place, the dust and other lighter matters held in suspension by the airblast being carried by it out of the opening, while the heavier portions, whose gravity may not be entirely overcome, are given an impetus by the blast that projects them beyond said opening and into the settling-chamber, where they fall to the bottom of the tube to be again picked up by the heaters and work their way down toward the lower end of the tube. By these means I am enabled to sepa rate from the mass of material fed into the tube all of the dust and lighter particles that may be in fluenced and carried upward by the blast in direct opposition to the attraction of gravitation, the remaining lighter portions of the mass being worked over and over again until all of the objectionable matter is removed. Thisoperation is continued until the heavy particles (from which all of these particles which the air can carry away have been removed) reach the recovery-spout K near the lower end of the tube A, through which they fall by gravity.

The feed-roller E is constantly rotated from the shaft M by means of sprocket-wheels m and e, secured, respectively, to it and to the shafte of said roller, and a sprocket-chain m which engages with said sprocket-wheels.

Having described my invention, I claim-- 1. In an air-separator, the combination of an inclined tube closed at its upper end and having an air-inlet opening at its lower end, a feeding-hopper communicating with the interior of the tube and located centrally with respect to the length of said cylinder, an airexit opening in the upper side of the tube located at a suitable distance away from its closed upper end and heaters revolving in the tube, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In an air-separator, the combination of an inclined tube having a closed upper end and an air-inlet opening at its lower end, a series of semi-annular flanges within the bottom of the tube, a rotatable shaft mounted axially in said tube and provided with beater arms whose extremities sweep the spaces between said flanges and an air-exit opening in the upper side of the tube located near its mid-length, substantially as set forth.

3. In an air-separator, the combination of an inclined cylinder closed at its upper end and having an air-inlet opening at its lower end, a feed-hopper communicating with the cylinder midway of its length, an air-exit opening in the upper side of the cylinder also associated midway of the length of said cylinder, and heaters for agitating and throwing up from the bottom side of said cylinder the material discharged into it from said hopper, substantially as set forth.

4. In an air-separator, the combination of an inclined cylinder closed at its upper end and having an air-inlet at its lower end, with an air-outlet at its upper end located at such a distance from the closed end of said cylinder as to form a settling-chamber therein, and a suitable hopper arranged centrally with respect to the length of said cylinder for feeding material thereto.

5. In an air-separator, the combination of an inclined tube closed at its upper end and open at its lower end for the admission of air and discharge of material, a feed-hopper communicating with the tube near its middle, semi-ann ular flanges within the bottom of the tube, a rotating shaft in said tube having beater-aims with lateral screens on their'exl a box built above saidtube at itsmiddle and V tremities which sweep the spaces between the said flanges and an air-exit opening in the,

upper side of the tube located at suitable distance from its closed upper end to form a settling-chamber therein, substantially as set forth.

6. .In an air-separator, in combination, an inclined tube having an air-inlet opening at its lower end, beater-arms rotating within said tube, a feed-hopper on the side thereof,

opening into the same, said box having an upper outlet, and said beater-arms having screens fastened near their outer ends, sub- 15 stantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES H. LANE.

Witnesses: F. D. AMMEN,

ALBERT H. BATES. 

